'Adults have failed the children' at Spirit of Knowledge Charter School

Wednesday

Oct 23, 2013 at 6:00 AMOct 23, 2013 at 12:18 PM

By Jacqueline Reis , TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

MALDEN — The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education plans to monitor the troubled Spirit of Knowledge Charter School daily but took no action at the board's meeting Tuesday.

Mitchell D. Chester, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, detailed uneven test scores and achievement that seems headed in the wrong direction. A consultant for the school said he believes "the adults have failed the children," and the Worcester public school system is preparing to welcome the charter school's children back if necessary.

Barrington Henry, chairman of the school's board of trustees, said trustees will hold an emergency meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. He said he has authorized the school's executive director to draw up a transition plan for students because he wants to be prepared for any possible outcome.

Spirit of Knowledge, which opened in 2010, has been on probation since May. It has about 160 students in Grades 7-12 and drew the state's attention this fall when it enrolled far fewer students than expected and when its Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores were dramatically low in some categories.

The low enrollment is a problem, because it means there will be less state funding than budgeted for. That leads to budget cuts, which in turn makes it harder to improve the academics there, said Deputy Commissioner Jeff Wulfson.

In the spring, school officials expected to have 214 students this fall, Associate Commissioner Cliff Chuang said. By the summer, they were expecting 185. The school opened this fall with 170, and that number has fallen to about 160, he said.

In a memo to the board, Commissioner Chester wrote, "The financial audits for the past two years have noted significant deficiencies in internal controls. In the current fiscal year, the reduction in expected revenues and the lack of any significant cash reserves has left the school with little or no margin for unexpected circumstances."

The memo also mentions the school's MCAS scores and measures derived from them. While the scores themselves were uneven — some as good as or better than those of Worcester public schools, some worse — the calculations the state derives from those scores show a bleak picture.

Each district has a Progress and Performance Index score calculated mainly from MCAS scores and students' progress on those scores. The state considers a PPI of 75 out of 100 to be on target. Spirit of Knowledge's annual PPI was 4, according to the commissioner's memo. In contrast, Worcester's cumulative PPI (over four years) was 56.

The state's measure of students' growth also shows Spirit of Knowledge students falling short. The state considers a growth percentile of 50 good. Worcester's was 51 in English and 49 in math. Spirit of Knowledge's was 39 in English language arts and 23 in math, both of which were lower than the previous year.

No one spoke on behalf of Spirit of Knowledge at Tuesday's state board meeting, and the board asked few questions about the report.

Tyrone Mowatt, a Haverhill-based consultant who the school hired last week and whose contract ends this week, said in an interview after the meeting, "I believe the adults have failed the children, and I hope not to see that again in the commonwealth."

He said he made clear when the school hired him that he would advocate for what is best for the children at the school. He noted that the school still has the support of its bank, Commerce, and its landlord, the Diocese of Worcester.

Mr. Chester told the state board Tuesday that the school's situation is an "evolving" scenario. To say it is struggling "is anything but an overstatement."

"The (Spirit of Knowledge) Board of Trustees is going to have to take a hard look at themselves over the next few weeks," Mr. Wulfson said.

The state has not made any formal visits to Spirit of Knowledge this academic year.

The state has been in contact with Worcester public schools to warn officials that more students could be returning to the traditional public system.

Worcester Superintendent Melinda J. Boone said her district "stands ready to welcome and support students from Spirit of Knowledge." If needed, she said, her administration would work with the school's leadership on a transition, send a letter to parents and hold an open house.

While there is no item currently before the state board to revoke the state's charter, it has the power to do so. The school could also make that decision itself. When the state put Spirit of Knowledge on probation in May, state board member Harneen Chernow of Boston, who represents unions, said the report on the school "brought back memories of Gloucester."

Gloucester Community Arts Charter School opened in 2010 and surrendered its charter early this year after Mr. Chester recommended it be revoked.

In other business at Tuesday's meeting, the state board heard a presentation on the state's possible adoption of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a test that could be field tested this spring and eventually replace MCAS. The board will have a discussion at its special meeting on the evening of Nov. 18. On Nov. 19, it is scheduled to vote on a two-year timeline for field testing and assessing PARCC. That process would end with a vote in fall 2015 on whether to replace MCAS with PARCC.

This spring, classes in many districts, including Worcester, are scheduled to field test PARCC test sections.